The Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP) is a left-of-center advocacy organization and think tank founded in 2019 by Georgia Democratic politician Stacey Abrams that is centered around promoting racial equity and “economic power” among minority populations in the American South.

SEAP focuses its efforts on 12 southern states and publishes research, promotes the activities of other left-of-center organizations, and operates microgrant and community-engagement programs. SEAP is a fiscally sponsored project of the Tides Center, a group affiliated with the Tides Nexus of organizations and foundations known for sponsoring dozens of left-of-center advocacy groups. ^{1 2}

Background

The Southern Economic Advancement Project was founded in December 2019 by Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia state lawmaker who had unsuccessfully for Georgia Governor in 2018 (and would again in 2022) and gained a national following as a Democratic activist. The press release announcing the project stated that the group would focus on “race, class, and gender” concerning social and economic policy in the South. The group also stated that it would create resources and training to develop local and civic leaders to enact policy changes. ³

Community groups named as initial partners of SEAP included Hope Enterprise Corporation, Folks and Folks, and Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County. The founding press release stated that “EAP will address issues including economic prosperity, healthcare, transportation, children and youth, and the environment by providing a bridge between existing programs and additional resources” by offering “Policy research, microgrants, and scholar-practitioner connections.” ⁴

Ties to the Roosevelt Institute

When the Southern Economic Advancement Project was launched in 2019, it was announced that the Roosevelt Institute was the fiscal sponsor of the organization. The Roosevelt Institute is a left-of-center think tank aligned with the Democracy Alliance and affiliated with the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. ⁵ The SEAP founding press release said that the Roosevelt Institute “promotes bold policy reforms that would redefine the American economy and our democracy with a focus on curbing corporate power and reclaiming public power.” ⁶

Tides Center

Since the founding of the Southern Economic Advancement Project, the fiscal sponsorship of the organization was transferred from the Roosevelt Institute to the Tides Center, a group affiliated with the Tides Nexus of organizations and foundations known for sponsoring dozens of left-of-center advocacy groups. ⁷

Activities

Activities of the Southern Economic Advancement Project include providing microgrants to organizations, hosting trainings, and publishing economic research and educational materials. The group has released a library of materials aimed at encouraging organizations and governments to access the $130 billion in the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan funding. ⁸

The SEAP has also formed the South Strong Network, which provides funding and resources to a variety of left-of-center advocacy groups in the south including the Tennessee Refugee and Immigrant Rights Coalition, Equality North Carolina, and the Florida Policy Institute. The group also works with a variety of college campus chapters of the Roosevelt Institute. ⁹

Funding

While the funding sources of the Southern Economic Advancement Project are largely not publicly known, groups that have funded the organization have included large left-of-center national organizations such as the Marguerite Casey Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. ^{10 11}

1. “About.” Southern Economic Advancement Project. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://theseap.org/about/
2. “Stacey Abrams Establishes Southern Economic Advancement Project.” Business Wire. December 11, 2019 Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191211005197/en/Stacey-Abrams-Establishes-Southern-Economic-Advancement-Project
3. “Stacey Abrams Establishes Southern Economic Advancement Project.” Business Wire. December 11, 2019 Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191211005197/en/Stacey-Abrams-Establishes-Southern-Economic-Advancement-Project
4. “Stacey Abrams Establishes Southern Economic Advancement Project.” Business Wire. December 11, 2019 Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191211005197/en/Stacey-Abrams-Establishes-Southern-Economic-Advancement-Project
5. “Roosevelt Institute.” Democracy Alliance. Accessed April 24, 2017. http://democracyalliance.org/organization/roosevelt-institute/
6. “Stacey Abrams Establishes Southern Economic Advancement Project.” Business Wire. December 11, 2019 Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191211005197/en/Stacey-Abrams-Establishes-Southern-Economic-Advancement-Project
7. “About.” Southern Economic Advancement Project. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://theseap.org/about/
8. “ARP Toolkit.” Southern Economic Advancement Project. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://theseap.org/arp-toolkit-2/
9. “South Strong Network.” Southern Economic Advancement Project. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://theseap.org/southstrong/
10. “Southern Economic Advancement Project.” Marguerite Casey Foundation. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.caseygrants.org/2023-pdpg-grant-recipient/southern-economic-advancement-project
11. “Broadening kids’ opportunities across the American South: The Southern Economic Advancement Project.” W.K. Kellogg Foundation. March 29, 2023. Accessed March 9, 2024. https://www.wkkf.org/news-and-media/article/2023/03/broadening-kids-opportunities-across-the-american-south-the-southern-economic-advancement-project/